NGO mobilizes against FGM
Hana Ismail Muse
University of Hargeisa
Somaliland
February 20, 2007 - TOSTAN International for Africa Community
Empowerment,
organized social mobilization activities and awareness in Jig-jiga
Village in Hargeisa,
Somaliland, and that was about the elimination of FGM.
TOSTAN is an International NGO from Senegal, which usually
implemented community
education programs in various African countries, such as
Senegal, Mali and Sudan. The
ultimate aim of the community programs is the abandonment of FGC.
In Somaliland, the organization will target Hargeisa and Awdal
regions, particularly in the
rural areas, as well as urban settlements, for the up-coming
three years. Although the
project targets entire communities, the main target groups
within the communities are
women, girls and community leaders. Currently, the program is in
its preparatory phase,
but at end of the three years, as the TOSTAN organization
expected some of the targeted
communities will come up with a collective abandonment
declaration of FGM.
As TOSTAN Organization works in the enhancement of human dignity
through the
implementation of a human right-based, non-formal, participatory
education program in
national languages, it invited this social mobilization
awareness by many members of
villagers, including men and women who actually work in various
institutions, such as
government institutions, religious leaders, civil societies,
teachers, health workers, and
many Sultans (Salaadiin).
Therefore, the members of that village were actively
participated and well listened to the
program of the social mobilization awareness, which indicated
how they develop their
community and their environment. Actually, they appreciated this
program.
The Program Supervisor from TOSTAN International for Empowerment
of African
community Miss. Iimaan Mohamed Omar, had officially opened the
speech by greeted all
members of the villagers who took part the gathering. She
thanked all the participants,
and said; “We are very happy to participate with all of you in
this meeting, because you
from the community and every one of us representing his family,
government members
of the village, health workers, teachers, business people, civil
societies or traditional
leaders (Salaadiin). Again, I am hereby appreciating all of you
for your warm welcoming
us.”
TOSTAN is an international NGO for empowerment of western Africa
Community, which is
based in Senegal, but also works in many other African countries
for a long time.
TOSTAN’s main goal is to spread to the other countries in
Africa, and it has actually
opened its first office in Somaliland, while the Organization
also has other offices in
Somalia, such as Puntland and central Somalia region (Hiiraan).
The TOSTAN
Organization, had also planned to reach the other East African
countries like; Kenya,
Ethiopia, Djibouti and etc. Its head quarter of the region and
the main office is in
Hargeisa, Somaliland.
As the organization based, TOSTAN works with community of
villagers to train them their
guidelines for reaching community development.
The program consultant of TOSTAN Mr. Falious Cisse, also
expressed his feelings and
greeted to all participants of the village and he said that: “I
am very happy to stay here
with you particularly your village. You see, I am from Senegal,
and I do not feel anything
different, because I am an African and you are Africans too, and
we have the same
tradition. I have to say, to achieve our goals; we must unite
our hands and work
together as a team.”
TOSTAN selected 14 villages from the Hargeisa Region and each
village, there would be
one facilitator trained by the program of TOSTAN, and
implementing a class to teach the
local people, as well as to train community management committee
(CMC).
Program supervisor of TOSTAN International, encouraged the
villagers to take part in the
implementation of the program and work on the procedural system
of the center. She
also, expressed the importance of registering the rate of birth,
death, marriage, as well
as the rate of divorcing and also the rate of command diseases
existing there. At the end
of the meeting, Miss. Marwa A. Saed thanked all the participants
and encouraged the
villagers that the community’s development is in their hands.
She said, “We have to
make a good example for others.”